§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many1028W women have been classified as having a priority need for accommodation as victims of domestic violence under sections 175 and 177 of the Housing Act 1996. [59845]
§ Ms KeebleI have been asked to reply.
Data are not collected centrally in the precise form requested. Available information on households accommodated under statutory homelessness provisions in England is published in a quarterly Statistical Release, "Statutory Homelessness: England".
Table 3 presents a summary of those households accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need under the Housing Act 1996, identifying which category was most crucial in determining priority need. Cases where domestic violence was the exclusive reason are identified separately, but further cases may also exist where, for example, the presence of dependent children was regarded by the local authority as the crucial determining factor. Table 4 further summarises acceptances by reason for loss of the household's last settled home, and identifies all cases involving a "violent breakdown of relationship".
Copies of the statistical release are held in the Library and are also available on the Department's website. The latest edition, published on 14 March 2002, presents statistics up to and including the fourth quarter of 2001.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the ministerial group on domestic violence regarding local government policy on housing allocation for victims of domestic violence. [59843]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have been asked to reply.
This is one of a number of housing issues which are the subject of on-going discussion with the ministerial group on domestic violence, and on which the Department has provided briefing for this group, in order to meet the key objective, shared by both the ministerial group and the Department, to increase safe accommodation choices for women and children.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the advice issued to local government regarding housing allocation for victims of domestic violence. [59844]
§ Mr. McNultyI have been asked to reply.
On 31 May 2002 the Department will be issuing for consultation a draft code of guidance for local housing authorities on the allocation of housing, which has been revised to take account of the changes to Part 6 of the Housing Act contained in the Homelessness Act 2002. The issue of domestic violence is referred to in Chapters 4 and 5 of the Code.
The period for consultation ends on 28 August 2002.
A copy of the draft Code will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.